Life-preserver.



W. G. BROKAW.

LIFE PRESERVEB.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-9,1915.

Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. G. BROKAW.

LIFE PRESERVER.

APPLICATION nuzo FEB. 9. 1915.

1,155,207. PatentedSept. 28, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

55 3 i l is that if the life preserver'isinclosed withnirn-rnnsnnvnn.

, Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 28, 1915,

Application filed February 9, 1915. Serial No. 7,005. 7 p

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. BnoKAw, a citizen of the United States, residing at High Point, in the county of Guilford and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life- Preservers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to life preservers, and more particularly to life preservers which are designed for connection with the collar of a garment,'such as a sailors shirt,

Guernsey, sweater, or the like,-so that the life preserver may be in constant readiness for use. 7

In a co-pendingapplic'ation filed by me December 19, 1914:, Serial No. 878,059, I have shown, described and claimed a life preserver which is made in the shape of the collar of a garment, and is designed to lie beneath said collar and be detach'ably connected with the collar, such life preserver having suitable straps which fasten in front of the body, to secure the life preserver in position when it is desired foruse. Under the present invention the life preserver, which is preferably of theinflatable type, and may be made of rubber or similar material which is impervious to air, is made in the shape of the collar of the garment with which it is tobe worn, and is inserted between the two layers of material of which the collar is made,"s0 thatthe life preserver is entirely concealed fromview.

An important feature of the invention, in this connection, consists in providing an opening along the back" edge of the collar and through which the life preserver may be inserted, or withdrawn, and detachable fastening devices are secured along the adja cent edges of this opening, whereby the life preserver may be readily "inserted between the layers of the collar, and bymeans of said fastening devices the opening in the collar may be closed. The fastening devices also provide for readily opening the back portion of the. collar in order to withdraw the life preserver when desired. This arrangement is convenient in that it provides for laundrying the garment, minus the life preserver? whereby the injury which would probably be attendant upon laundry-, ing the garment while thelifepreserver was inclosed within the collars isprevented.

' Another advantage of this arrangement in the collar of a sailors shirt, the sailor may easily withdraw the life preserver and discard his shirt in the event that his ship should go into action, and, with the securing straps supplied to each life preserver he may secure the latter to his body so that it will be in condition for immediate use.

The above, and other valuable features of this invention will be better understood from the following description, and the novel features of the invention will be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a sailors shirt as it appears with the collar inclosing the life preserver of the present invention, and the straps in positionto secure the life preserver to the wearers body; Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the collar of a garment inclosing the life preserver, certain portions of the collar being broken away to show the inclosed life preserver, and its securing straps; Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view on the line 4e 9,", Fig. 2, on a slightly enlarged scale, showing the collar flap'open; Fig. 4: is a sectional detail,

taken on the same plane of section as Fig. 3, showing the life preserver inflated, and the collar flap closed, and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the'life preserver, illustrating, diagrammatically, the, arrangement I of the straps around the wearers body.

The life preserver comprises an inflatable bag 20, of rubber, or other suitable material,

composed" of. upper and lower portions which are preferably united at their peripheral edges by cement, or other suitable means, the bag being made in the form of the collar of the garment in which it is inclosed. I

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the inflatable bag is made in the shape of the broad collar of a sailors shirt, although it may be made in the shape of the collar of any garment with which it is be'inclosed between the lower layer 21, and the upper layer 22, of flannel, or. other fabric, constituting the collar of the sailors shirt, or othergarment. If inserted between adapted to be used. This bag is designed to the two layers of a collar of a sailors shirt, I as shown in Fig. 2, the usual rows of stitch- I ing 23, along the two' side edges of the collar, will confine the inflatable bag at the sides of the collar. The stitches which usually unite the two layers of the collar along the back line thereof are omitted, so

as to leaveopening at the back of the collar through which the inflatable bag may server therein. One of the layers of the collar, as 22, is provided with a flap 24: extendingthe full width of the collar. along the backedge, and having fastening devices 27 which are arranged to engage cooperat- V ing socket members 27 that are arranged along the outer edge of the other layer, 21, of the collar, and at the same distancesapart from each other as the fastening devices 27 By this means the life preserver 20 may be securely retained between the layers of the collar, the fastenings 25iserving to close the opening at the edge of the collar, through which the life preserver is inserted, and the flap 24, with its fastenin'g devices 27 which cooperate with the fastening devices 27 on the edge of the layer 21 serving asan additional closure, as well as providing a neat and smooth finish for the back edge of the collar. l

The straps 26, 26, are each secured at one end to a rear corner of the life preserver 20,

and eachof the" two forward extensions of the life preserver is provided with a short strap 29 which terminates in a buckle 30. The flap 24 has, adjacent each end thereof, two parallel slits 28, 28, and eachstrap 26. is threaded through a pair of these slits, and the loose ends of the remainder of thestraps are housed loosely within the collar between the layer 21, and the inflatable bag 20, as shown in Fig. 6. The life preserver is also provided with anfinflating tube 31,, having a mouth piece 32 and a,valve 33, whereby the wearer of the device mayinfiate the bag, a nd by means of the valve" the air may be retained in the bag. Thetube is also preferably provided with a tube compressing clip, or valve 34:, for use in case the air valve 33 should leak, or otherwise refuse to act.

I, In the use of this invention, the inflatable bag 20 is worn between the layers of the collar in a collapsed condition as shown in Fig. 3, and the tube31 is tucked in back ofone of the forward extensions of the sailors collar, so as to be concealed and out of the way. If the wearer is called upon to use the life preserver he places the mouth piece 30 in his mouth and inflatesthe bag 20. I-Iethen pulls the straps 26 out" of the collar, by engaging I the straps at the points where they are eX- posed betweenthe two slits'28, 28, at each corner. The straps are then passed, beneath the wearers arms, and are fastened'by the buckles 30, carried by the straps 29, which latter straps are'crossed upon the wearers breast in the manner shown in Fig. 5.

' In" the event that the user of the device should discard his shirt, or other garment .to whichthe collar 'is attached which incloses the life preserver, as in the case of a sailor when his ship goes into action, the fastenings 27 and 25 are separated, thus opening the rear edge of the collar. i The This life precapable of being folded'into a very small compass so that it may be carried in a'bag, envelop, or other convenient'receptacle and may be used bytravelers, who will thus be enabled to carry with them,,at all times, a

life preserver which may be readily attached to the collar of a garment, or may be placed about the wearers neck independently of any garment, if desired.

Having thus described my invention what Iclaim as new and desire to secure'by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination with a garment having a collar, ofa life preserver made of substan;

tially the same configuration as the collar,

and detachablyinclosed between the layers thereof. 1

. 2. The combination with a collar comprising two layers of material, of a life preserver of substantially the same configuration as the collar and inclosedbetween the layers;

her z 3. The combination with a collar composed of two layers of material and having an opening at one'edge, ofa life preserver of substantially the same configuration as said collar and arranged between the layers-there-' of, and fasteners for closing the open; edge of the collar. 7 r

V 4. The combination of a collar composed of two layers of material and having forwardly directed portions, of a lifepreserver of substantially the same configuration as the collar and removably inclosedbetween the layers thereof. r

' 5. The combination with a collar madeof 120 two layers of material stitched together at its sides and open at its back edge, of a life preserver of substantially the samejconfiguration as said collar inclosed between the layers thereof, and fasteners" located 5 upon the adjacent rear edges of said layers, whereby the life preserver is; retained within the collar, but may be removed therefrom."

6. The combination with a collar composed of two layers of material having forwardly extending portions, saidlayers being stitched together along the sides of the collar, of cooperating fastening devi'cesarranged along the rear edges of said layers, a flap secured to one of said edges, and fastening devices between said flap and the other edge of said layer, and a life preserver of substantially the configuration of the collar and'arranged to be inclosed between the layers thereof.

7. The combination with a collar composed of two layers of material united along their side edges, of cooperating detachable fastening means between the adjacent rear edges of said layers, a flap secured to one of said rear edges, and cooperating fastening devices between said flap and the other rear edge, said flap being provided adjacent each end with a pair of parallel slits, of a life preserver inclosed between said layers of the collar, straps secured to the outer corners of the life preserver and passing through said parallel slits, said straps arranged to be housed between the life preserver and one of the layers of the collar.

8. A life preserver made in the shape of a collar and having a body portion and two forward extensions thereon, in combination with straps secured each to a rear corner of said body portion, and cooperating straps secured to the forward extensions and'terminating in buckles.

9. The combination with a garment having a collar to extend over a portion of the wearer s back, of a collapsible life preserver arranged between the layers of said collar, said life preserver being removable from said collar.

WVILLIAM GOULD BROKAW.

Witnesses:

JAMES BLACK, ARTHUR HUsK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

